Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson faces two general election opponents in what could be the 17-term incumbent’s final race in a majority-Black district.
Thompson has represented the 2nd Congressional District covering Jackson and the Delta since 1993. A civil rights leader and former chair of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6th Capitol attack, Thompson is a towering figure in state and national politics. That status has made him the prime target of Republican state leaders, who are poised to redraw his seat through redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Callais decision in May.
Thompson, the lone Black and lone Democratic member of Mississippi’s congressional delegation, has dominated his reelection contests ever since first entering Congress. While the 2nd District has gone through redistricting three times — after the 2000, 2010, and 2020 censuses — it has remained a majority-Black district covering the Mississippi Delta and most of Jackson.
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has removed protections for minority districts and cleared the way for Republican-controlled state legislatures to redraw political lines in their favor, Republican leaders have left little doubt they intend to target Thompson through redistricting.
But before they can attempt that, Thompson faces Republican challenger Ron Eller and Independent Bennie Foster in this year’s midterm election.
Eller, a physician’s assistant and military veteran, has already run for Thompson’s seat twice. He lost the Republican primary in 2022, but secured the nomination in 2024. That year, he lost to Thompson by nearly 24 points. For 2026, he again emerged victorious from the Republican primary after narrowly defeating Adams County Supervisor Kevin Wilson.
Eller said he is campaigning on a platform of “economic growth, lower taxes, secure borders, support for law enforcement and expanding opportunity for working families throughout the district.”
On the campaign trail, Eller has called for congressional term limits and said he supports Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“For far too long, Congressman Bennie Thompson has left the people of Mississippi’s 2nd District behind,” Eller said. “It is time for a new generation of leadership aligned with President Trump that will fight for economic growth, secure borders, voter integrity and the constitutional rights of every Mississippian.”
An independent, Foster, is also running for the seat. Foster has proposed reallocating federal spending “away from overseas conflicts to fix urgent local priorities starting with Jackson water system, rural health access, and Delta infrastructure.” He also supports training programs to equip workers for the rise of artificial intelligence and wants to “challenge corporate healthcare monopolies to lower costs.”
Thompson has pointed to his record of securing millions of dollars in grants and federal appropriations for his district, including his role as a vocal proponent of a $600 million aid package for Jackson’s water system. If Democrats retake control of the House, he would again become chair of the committee overseeing the Department of Homeland Security, he has also noted.
Federal campaign finance records show Thompson has a large financial edge in the race.
As of the latest reporting period, Thompson had over $1.4 million in cash on hand compared to Eller’s roughly $36,000. Foster began his campaign with less than $10,000 in cash on hand and hasn’t reported raising any more money.
While Thompson is the heavy favorite to once again coast to reelection this November, a subsequent redistricting fight could reshape his political future.
Following the Callais decision, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Thompson’s tenure “reigning terror on the 2nd Congressional District” was over. In public appearances, Thompson has leaned into the fight, daring Republicans to challenge him.
At a May fundraiser in Jackson featuring DNC Chair Ken Martin, Thompson said Republican state leaders didn’t want to own up to their own failures.
“At some point, you make folks mad,” Thompson said. “This state didn’t get on the bottom by itself. We had leaders who just did not give a tinker’s damn about the majority of the people in this state. So we have to do better. I’m in it to win it. I don’t care what it is.”
Mississippi’s congressional primaries had already concluded by the time the Callais decision came down, and Republicans declined to take the extraordinary step of invalidating those elections in order to redraw electoral maps before the 2026 midterms.
But the Republican-dominated state Legislature has created special committees on redistricting and is holding hearings across the state as it prepares to redraw maps. The new maps would likely be approved in a special session expected this November following the midterms or in regular session starting in January.
It is unclear what the new 2nd District would look like, but many Republicans believe they can draw the lines in a way that would help oust Thompson. In order to do that, they’d likely need to split up parts of the Delta and Jackson, which are majority-Black Democratic strongholds.
In this year’s Democratic primary, Thompson staved off a primary challenge from Evan Turnage, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Senate Conference Vice Chair Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The race drew attention due to Turnage’s connections to powerful congressional Democrats.
Thompson won by a wide margin, and in a statement following that victory, the longtime incumbent sounded reflective.
“I didn’t begin this journey at the top or with a roadmap,” Thompson said. “As Langston Hughes wrote, life has not been a crystal stair. Every challenge only strengthened my resolve to expand access and opportunity.”
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